[shravan2k2]

Originally Posted by The Observer

Nice to hear a good feedback on Tata ownership - it is very encouraging information at the moment when they are rolling out good , well designed and better looking vehicles ! - The positive feedback on ASS should help potential customers to seal the deal.

Regarding your driving - from what you have posted - you drove a total of 3,56,000 km in three years (1095 days) ?? That amounts to an average of driving 325 km per day !!

No I meant three years on each. The last Tata vehicle was sold last year in october 2014. Manza at 1.36 lakha km in 3 years. Sorry for describing it wrong.

[Swapnil4585]

Originally Posted by sary

I'm seeing people often talk about the dynamics and overall looks of this car, which in Tata's case is no where close to other foreign manufacturers cars available in Indian market in that segment.

Therefore the question I ask, how reliable is Tata car on road? How often will it leave you stranding on the road? One of their so called best product (Zest), have been spotted with hood open at several occasions when I travel on NH's.

In the 1st para of your post, you mention of people talking about 'dynamics' and 'looks' of Tata cars, and that they are 'no where close' to other 'foreign' manufacturers. That implies that the looks and dynamics of Tata cars are closer or similar to cars manufactured by Indian manufacturers. And the Indian manufacturers holds about 100% market share by volume. Sure, Honda Cars India Limited, Toyota Kirloskar Limited, Maruti Suzuki India Limited are all Indian manufacturers. No one sells CBUs in A, B and C1 segments. So you yourself agree that Tata cars are best.

You start your 2nd para by the word 'therefore', which creates a relationship between the 1st and 2nd para. I would like to understand as to how the dynamics and looks of a vehicle can be related to its reliability?

And No. None from Team-BHP or from my now how have reported of being stranded on the road with the hoods of their Zest and Bolt open. Would like to know the cause of the case, if any.

[swiftnfurious]

Response for couple of posts.

1. Fit & finish - TATA had upped game with Zest & it was one of the first TATA product which looked unlike TATA in the fit & finish (or was it Aria / Storme?!) Zica is just an extension of what was already achieved.

2. I haven't seen a lot of Zests / Bolts on the road; never noticed any breakdowns either. While the OP may have seen Zests with bonnet up (nobody challenging his post either have a proof the car was not indeed broken down), I have neither seen any reports too. Hence I'll be inclined to believe this may be a one off case.

I remember now that I have had many instances where I had my Swift's hood popped up on the highway (never had a break down); those were attempts to provide a better cooling after prolonged runs; am sure that might have raised some eye brows too.

Finally, there can be an untoward incident with any brand - can happen due to any related accident (eg. punctured oil sump by hitting underside, or a cracked coolant box) - these don't directly attribute to an inferior or unreliable product.

3. TATA definitely needs prayers & a strong one at that; a competent product alone doesn't turn around the game always. If so, Zest would have done it already for TATA. I can vouch there are 100s or 1000s of potential customers who are reluctant to take TATAs name still, when they want to buy a new car. Bad reputation doesn't let go easily.

[amit_mechengg]

Originally Posted by sary

I'm seeing people often talk about the dynamics and overall looks of this car, which in Tata's case is no where close to other foreign manufacturers cars available in Indian market in that segment.

Therefore the question I ask, how reliable is Tata car on road? How often will it leave you stranding on the road? One of their so called best product (Zest), have been spotted with hood open at several occasions when I travel on NH's.

Have you ever driven the Zest? It has one of the best in class suspensions and ride quality. It has all dual-path independent McPherson struts with anti-roll bar and the rears carry semi-independent twist beam configuration.
It definitely rides way better than the lousy foreign manufacturer Honda.

You really saw Zests stranded? That too Multiple occasions? FYI zests are fitted with the state of the art Fiat Multijet Diesel engines. Millions of the cars on the roads run on the same engine.

To give you an glimpse of reliability our Vista is run 2.42 lacs still on stock suspensions, 1 clutch change and stock timing chain. Not even once it has left us stranded on the road. Mileage has been consistent 21-22 on highways and 15-17 in the city.

Not all that is Indian is bad. Everything "Foreign" is also not really good.

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by sary

Therefore the question I ask, how reliable is Tata car on road? How often will it leave you stranding on the road? One of their so called best product (Zest), have been spotted with hood open at several occasions when I travel on NH's.

Wow! I haven't even seen several Zests on road yet and you saw them with hood open. Can you name any manufacturer's car that is never seen on road with its hood open?

[coriollis]

Originally Posted by sary

I'm seeing people often talk about the dynamics and overall looks of this car, which in Tata's case is no where close to other foreign manufacturers cars available in Indian market in that segment.

Foreign manufacturers.... Hmm. Lets see. V.A.G? Chevy?
Tata's are not cheating at the very least.

Cheers,
AB

[Car-Agey]

We own a Manza Petrol in the family for about 6 years. It is done 120000 kms. Not even once has it stopped on the way. Dont even remember stalling due to a puncture in the past couple of years.

[tushky]

Originally Posted by sary

I'm seeing people often talk about the dynamics and overall looks of this car, which in Tata's case is no where close to other foreign manufacturers cars available in Indian market in that segment.

Therefore the question I ask, how reliable is Tata car on road? How often will it leave you stranding on the road? One of their so called best product (Zest), have been spotted with hood open at several occasions when I travel on NH's.

I am a user of Indica Xeta from last 8 years and even my car is going well without any breakdown. Many of my friends own Zest and they are extremely happy about their purchase. Will i buy TATA again? Definitely yes for their structural stability, Value for money and for their design.

[Dr.Suraj]

Why has this guy put his reputation on stake like this, is beyond me!

But one thing I have learnt from Team BHP is that, good products speak for themselves.
The discerning, tasteful lot know what's good and not.
The special people here on Team BHP know a good car when they see one.
They don't mince words.
They don't look at sales figures as the parameters of a 'good car'.

Sales figures reflect a combination of branding, marketing, dealer experience, pricing, after sales service.
Goes nowhere to decide a good car.
Example look at the 2014 COTY and the Budget Automatic Thread.

Now unless, we are here, squabbling because we are Board of Directors or large share holders in these companies, it makes little difference to enthusiasts or afficinados or just autophiles about most of the things being discussed.

Let's discuss a car for its merits.
And lets wait for official review of T BHP.
Let's wait for the comments of our members once they TD (and if they purchase the car).
Ownership reviews of Zest and the Zest & Bolt threads speak for themselves.
(irrespective of some 'open hoods' pun intended.)
I would value the words of a senior /distinguished / BHPian over some over enthusiastic twitterati.
AJD was also part of the test drive. Let's see what he and the others say!

P. S. This time, I had genuinely thought I will end up going for Grand i10. And we do love the new Elite i20 for its styling. But Grand i10 was going nowhere. So held back a little for the Kite. So far, I am not in the least bit disappointed. Pricing... Awaited.

[su1978]

without prejudice, i would like to say that there is a severe biased opinion against any new product that is either launched or is going to get launched against already established market players. Also, i have noted that if there is a product that is established in market and a new rival tries to set its foot, then the brand loyalist/users always try to set it off even before its launch or even before using it. Since india is an open economy and every brand deserves a fair chance to do business, don't we think that such opinion of ours would lead to a monopolistic behavior of brands.

I fully understand and agree that till date TATA's have not done their image any good by having products that lack reliability and are often seen on highways with hood popped up, but with the new product lines on offer, they are really knocking on the doors of a regular user and its time we recognize their efforts.

[balajisv]

Originally Posted by sary

I'm seeing people often talk about the dynamics and overall looks of this car, which in Tata's case is no where close to other foreign manufacturers cars available in Indian market in that segment.

Therefore the question I ask, how reliable is Tata car on road? How often will it leave you stranding on the road? One of their so called best product (Zest), have been spotted with hood open at several occasions when I travel on NH's.

Well, I'm a first buyer of Tata car. My earlier 3 cars were from Maruti.

I purchased Zest Revotron last year. Have done 12000 kms. It's never stopped anywhere. I'm part of a Whatsapp group which has 100 Zest owners. No one have reported a breakdown. I don't remember anyone who reported a breakdown on team bhp too. It is a testament of Tata cars reliability, specially the Zest.

Please don't write off Tata Motors sincere efforts with just plain talk.

Someone spoke about heavy doors on Zest. In my Swift, I was able to pull in the door with a finger! Try that on Zest. It demands your entire fist to clasp on the handle and pull it in!

Structural stability is awesome in Zest. It's not a Baleno.

[su1978]

Originally Posted by balajisv

Well, I'm a first buyer of Tata car. My earlier 3 cars were from Maruti.

I purchased Zest Revotron last year. Have done 12000 kms. It's never stopped anywhere. I'm part of a Whatsapp group which has 100 Zest owners. No one have reported a breakdown. I don't remember anyone who reported a breakdown on team bhp too. It is a testament of Tata cars reliability, specially the Zest.

Please don't write off Tata Motors sincere efforts with just plain talk.

Someone spoke about heavy doors on Zest. In my Swift, I was able to pull in the door with a finger! Try that on Zest. It demands your entire fist to clasp on the handle and pull it in!


Structural stability is awesome in Zest. It's not a Baleno.

100% agree with you mate. The new generation of Tata cars are in a different league altogether. This belief is getting strengthened by the fact that we constantly see industry bigwigs leaving the Japanese, korean & American giants and joining the desi bandwagon(Tata's & the mahindra's). With this shift they are bringing the know-how and marketing techniques. We all know how Koreans & Japanese control their Indian operation also goes on to justify the reason why they are jumping the ship.

Secondly, i 100% agree that our Indian manufacturers make cars whose fit and finish which may be some grades lower but they are solidly built. Let me give you an example which i personally witnessed. Some years back, my office ride used to be a cab which happened to be a Tata Indica. One day it collided with a Qualis at right angle and i was surprised to see that Indica suffered just upper panel bent and headlight damaged wheras the Qualis had its radiator burst, battery damaged, headlight damaged, front bumper damaged. God knows what would happen when this Baleno will collide with our desi Sumo or Mahindra Bolero

[balajisv]

Originally Posted by sary

Will certainly click some pics and post for you and benefit of forum members next time.


Meanwhile, I leave you with a question- why pray for success? If the car is worth, it will sell.

You have been lucky my friend

Good luck my friend! I'm sure you will have a tough time finding one!

Well, not so easy in a 'herd mentality' driven market and with bad-mouthers and vested interests. But, Tata Motors are fighting. And that's exciting!

I don't think so. Tata Motors cars are always reliable. While the Hondas, Fords and Toyotas are busy recalling their cars, Tata's are busy on their 'Horizonnext' strategy. Zest, Bolt, Zica, Hexa and future lineup.

[Dr.Suraj]

Originally Posted by sary

Read about 'Brand value' and you will understand how paying a little more premium adds value to one's own status and peace of mind. No business is in market to run charity, you get what you pay for.
Meanwhile, I leave you with a question- why pray for success? If the car is worth, it will sell.
You have been lucky my friend

Just like I discredited all those tweets from that guy after I read his immature tweet about 'innovation of a back pocket' - proved his knowledge wasn't sound. Similarly, I was about to reply to your post much more earlier - but more than a dozen people beat me to it !
After I read your line about 'status' and premium value - I feel, either you are on the wrong thread, looking for the wrong thing in a right car or we are all wrong in the reason why we buy cars.

Not connected - but, Tata's are in business to do charity. The numbers I had read in 2013 said they spend almost 60% of their net profit towards CSR. Unprecedented & unheard of. Not even Microsoft does so much CSR towards the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation.

The prayer is not for the car, the prayer is for the mindset of Indian people.

Originally Posted by discoverwild

I care two hoots for brand value and status. That basically shows I am a snob. The car or my house or my clothes or my appearance does not matter. It's what I do that defines me.
Just go through recalls of all major brands in India and you will understand that there's a lemon everywhere.

Loved that line. It's what you do that defines you. (Batman Begins).
But, ironically, what we drive defines us.
Example - a guy who will spend twice the money on an inferior, underpowered, less feature packed car, just because it increases his 'status' or envy in neighbours yes - v/s - a guy who makes a sensible decision with heart & mine, or buys the car he liked or drives a car he loved without caring two hoots about 'log kya kahenge' - this precisely DEFINES their personality.
Right?
Or do I need to spell it out. (wink) [won't be allowed more smileys, sorry mods]

As for the lemons - good point.



I don't see Tata or Mahindra in this list.
Yes, I know this isn't about Mahindra & yes, goes to show that I ain't a Tata fanboy. I am just an informed consumer, who finds that not all foreign multi-nationals come to my country and sell me stuff with clean hearts and good intentions. I find MOST of them coming only to cash in on the sheer population and herd mentality that we Indians are guilty of. At the same time I find SOME of our homegrown brands, in various sectors, striving hard to get better at their game and beat those guys, while giving us competent VFM products, without breaking the bank or cheating us.

To the 'Rationalist' - who was passing religious comments - anything you said about 'secret steel' of Suzuki & whatever ... Tata Motors, sure, they are up for debate. Because YES, they made some mistakes.
But when you mention Tata Steel ... you are making a mistake.


Have a look at this video.
(not made by an Indian. An international YouTube channel had to make this video because it mattered!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku6SAMsyHbo

P.S.: If seriously, your comment was sarcastic (now isn't that an oxymoron right there ) - then my apologies for the reply, in advance. Forgive me for my poor sense of humour.

[captain.torque]

As you can see in my signature, I have owned a TATA in the past. An Indica V2 DLS (2005-2009). TBH, Indica was never my first choice when I decided to buy my first ever vehicle.

But as the car was to be used primarily by my mom (chauffeur driven) and her daily commute to office was roughly 60 kms combined with 10 kms to nearby markets for household chores, we had to get a Diesel. And back in 2005 there weren't many Diesel cars around. Heck apart from Indica I seriously can't recall any other Diesel car, may be the Fiat Palio. Right?

So, while I had made up my mind to get the Tata, many of my family members including Mama's and Chacha's (maternal and paternal uncles respectively) warned me to stay away from a Tata and instead buy a Petrol hatch and get an aftermarket CNG kit installed.

But it was only after spending some months with the car that I started appreciating it and realised that SO MANY folks around me were terribly mis-informed about Tatas, in particular the Indica.

The solid build quality, planted ride and ACRES of space were the highlights of the car that I fell in love with, though the non-turbo engine was a spoiler.

In fact, whenever I drove my cousins'/friends' Santro's and WagonR's, they surely felt peppy because they were Petrols but I always missed my Indica's planted ride and of course the space.

So, why have I written this post?

Apart from sharing my experience, I wanted to express my unhappiness at how so many of fellow T-Bhpians DESPITE knowing the horrors associated with the likes of Skoda and VW ASS still talk about their cars with reverence and look down upon those choosing a City over a Vento or a Swift over a Polo.

What is it please enlighten me?

A German company can fool us, cheat us, take us for a ride but we will continue to be awed by their mediocre line up handful of cars which for god's sake get refreshed head and tail lights every couple of years and are labeled "ALL NEW".

When you buy a car you don't buy it just because the "door closes with a thud" but the after sales service and peace of mind are equally important.

I will admit that I did face some issues with a particular Tata service centre but upon changing to a different one, I never faced any issue. And this, in no way is limited to Tata. I have changed three Maruti service centre's in the last few years for my Swift.

Why can't TATA get a chance to improve?